Removing paint put on by a previous owner..?

yoshi · #1 09-27-2003, 04:14 PM

Hiya.

I got an old Ibanez roadstar today and its obvious that a previous owner has, for soem reason, hand painted the headstock, making it look grubby and coering the ibanez logo taht should go along the top. The 'roadstar' logo on the truss rod sheild is still there though.

Any ideas on how to;
A) remove the paint, and,
B) remove the paint hopefully to reveal the past finish/re achieve the orignal look?

Thanks a lot!

-I've enclosed a pic of the headstock to share the pain it's in at the moment.

mslatter · #2 09-30-2003, 05:18 PM

I don't think you'll be able to remove the paint but not the underlying finish and probably the decal as well. You may be able to strip it to bare wood and find a replacement decal, though, then re-lacquer it.

yoshi · #3 10-01-2003, 04:01 AM

Hi. Thanks a lot for the suggestion, i'll look more into it.

One question though, how would I go about getting an ibanez logo (print one?) and attach it without it generating an aura of fakeness (incase I ever want to sell it, then again I could just explain/point out the numerous other ibanez logos).

thanks again!

mslatter · #4 10-01-2003, 11:29 AM

Try contacting Ibanez. They might sell replacement decals. Some manu's get uppity about making sure you currently own the instrument in question, so you might have to provide some proof of ownership.

pilotjones · #5 10-01-2003, 12:08 PM

If you're lucky, you might try a paint stripper, and leave it on just long enough to remove the outer layer of paint only, before it starts to attack the factory finish too much. I know that when I strip furniture, it usually doesn't remove all the layers at once. If it did remove the added paint but it also hazed up the original paint, you might be able to add a clear top coat to restore the gloss. And you'd keep the original sticker.

Gallient Knight · #6 10-01-2003, 09:47 PM

You could also try a heat gun and pay close attention to when the paint starts pealling.

pilotjones · #7 10-01-2003, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gallient Knight
You could also try a heat gun and pay close attention to when the paint starts pealling.

Good idea, as long as your careful to watch for if you're loosening up to glue that holds on the fretboard.

Hambone · #8 10-07-2003, 09:14 PM

I wouldn't worry too much about "value" of the Roadstar basses. They were fun as players but they weren't real collector material. Here's a plan:

Take before and after photo's to establish provenance of the repair. Strip your headstock to bare wood and then refinish with a new logo using a water slide decal from your inkjet printer. Research the artwork you'll need and create the same. Install it with the refinish and head off into the sunset. And don't worry about the repair looking fake. After all, you can't really prove it's a real Ibanez now with the paint on the headstock. You'll be making a bad situation just a little bit better this way.

ameli · #9 10-13-2003, 10:41 PM

Hi, I'm thinking of doing a similar project in the near future... but the difference is I'm going to make my own decals by some means.

What's a water slide decal? Is that stuff printed on sticker paper?

Hambone · #10 10-14-2003, 01:04 PM

A water slide decal is printed on special paper, sealed with a clear coating, cut from the sheet and dipped in water to activate the adhesive. The decal is then slid off the backing paper onto the work. After drying, the whole decal is sealed into the finish with subsequent layers of clear coat. You might remember these as the decals from model cars and planes.

You can get the paper from vendors on Ebay or try a google search of "decal paper"